JP7295296B2 - ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD OF ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a control method for the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for measuring blood flow in a subject and a control method for the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

Conventionally, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is known as a device for obtaining an image of the inside of a subject. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus generally includes an ultrasonic probe provided with a transducer array in which a plurality of elements are arranged. In a state in which the ultrasonic probe is in contact with the body surface of the subject, an ultrasonic beam is transmitted from the transducer array toward the inside of the subject, and an ultrasonic echo from the subject is received by the transducer array and the element Data is obtained. Furthermore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus electrically processes the obtained element data to generate an ultrasonic image of the relevant part of the subject.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that detects a blood vessel wall and calculates a blood vessel diameter by setting a Doppler gate on a B-mode image and searching within a search area including the center point of the Doppler gate. It is This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further calculates the blood flow velocity in the blood vessel based on the Doppler data in the Doppler gate, and measures the blood flow rate in the blood vessel using the calculated blood flow velocity and blood vessel diameter.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-52026

By the way, when the blood flow rate in the subject is measured, the user needs to check whether the Doppler gate is placed in an appropriate position, for example, and the B-mode image and Doppler image used for the measurement so that the measurement can be performed appropriately. It is preferable to check both sides of the data.
Normally, when blood flow is measured using a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an ultrasonic image that depicts not only a blood vessel region but also a wide region including surrounding tissues is used, but since the blood vessel area to be measured is rendered relatively smaller than the display area of the B-mode image, it is difficult for the user to clearly confirm the blood vessel area on the B-mode image. There is a problem that measurement accuracy is lowered due to an error in the measurement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems, and enables the user to clearly confirm the blood vessel region on the B-mode image and improves the accuracy of blood flow measurement. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a method for controlling the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention includes a gate setting unit for setting a Doppler gate in the blood vessel region by image analysis of a B-mode image in which at least the blood vessel region is imaged; A Doppler processing unit that calculates a blood flow velocity based on Doppler data and generates a Doppler waveform image, a display unit that displays a B-mode image and a Doppler waveform image, and a user that displays both the B-mode image and the Doppler waveform image. an image enlargement unit for displaying an enlarged B-mode image of an enlarged blood vessel region including the Doppler gate on a display unit when the is frozen; a blood vessel wall detection unit; a cross-sectional area calculation unit that calculates the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel based on the blood vessel anterior wall and the blood vessel posterior wall detected by the blood vessel wall detection unit; a blood flow measurement unit for automatically measuring the blood flow based on the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel calculated by the cross-sectional area calculation unit and the blood flow velocity calculated by the Doppler processing unit when the and

It is preferable that the image enlarging section causes the display section to display the blood flow measured by the blood flow measuring section together with the enlarged B-mode image.

Also, the image enlarger can enlarge the blood vessel region so that the center position of the Doppler gate becomes the center position of the enlarged B-mode image.
Alternatively, the image enlarger can enlarge the blood vessel region so that the gate width of the Doppler gate in the enlarged B-mode image has a determined value.
Alternatively, the image enlarger can enlarge the blood vessel region so that the distance between the blood vessel anterior wall and the blood vessel posterior wall in the enlarged B-mode image has a predetermined value.

Further, the display unit has a B-mode image display area for displaying a B-mode image, the image enlargement unit holds a plurality of predetermined enlargement ratios different from each other, and a plurality of predetermined enlargement ratios. Of these, the vascular region can also be enlarged at the maximum magnification ratio in which the vascular anterior wall and the vascular posterior wall are included in the B-mode image display region.
Alternatively, the Doppler processing unit generates a Doppler waveform image based on the Doppler data in the Doppler gate, and the display unit includes a B-mode image display area for displaying the B-mode image and a Doppler waveform for displaying the Doppler waveform image. and an image display area, and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can further include a size ratio changing unit that changes the size ratio between the B-mode image display area and the Doppler waveform image display area based on the size of the enlarged B-mode image. .

A control method for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention sets a Doppler gate in a blood vessel region by image analysis of a B-mode image in which at least a blood vessel region is imaged, and blood flow velocity is determined based on Doppler data in the Doppler gate. is calculated, a Doppler waveform image is generated, the B-mode image and the Doppler waveform image are displayed on a display unit, the B-mode image is image-analyzed to detect the anterior wall and the posterior wall of the blood vessel, and the detected blood vessel The cross-sectional area of the blood vessel is calculated based on the anterior wall and the posterior wall of the blood vessel, and when the user freezes both the B-mode image and the Doppler waveform image, an enlarged B-mode image is displayed in which the blood vessel region including the Doppler gate is enlarged. The blood flow rate is automatically measured based on the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel and the blood flow velocity.

According to the present invention, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a gate setting unit that sets a Doppler gate in the blood vessel region by image analysis of a B-mode image in which at least the blood vessel region is imaged, and based on the Doppler data in the Doppler gate: A Doppler processing unit that calculates a blood flow velocity and generates a Doppler waveform image, a display unit that displays the B-mode image and the Doppler waveform image, and when both the B-mode image and the Doppler waveform image are frozen by the user an image enlarging unit for displaying an enlarged B-mode image obtained by enlarging a vascular region including the Doppler gate on a display unit; a blood vessel wall detecting unit for detecting the anterior wall and the posterior wall of the blood vessel by image analysis of the B-mode image; A cross-sectional area calculation unit that calculates the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel based on the blood vessel anterior wall and the blood vessel posterior wall detected by the blood vessel wall detection unit; Since the blood flow measuring unit automatically measures the blood flow based on the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel calculated by the area calculating unit and the blood flow velocity calculated by the Doppler processing unit, It is possible to clearly confirm the blood vessel region and improve the measurement accuracy of the blood flow.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a receiving section according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; 4 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a B-mode processing section according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a Doppler processing unit according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a blood vessel wall detection unit according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing designated points designated by a user in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a method of detecting a blood vessel wall by a blood vessel wall detection section in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a B-mode image with a Doppler gate set according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 4 shows a B-mode image and a Doppler waveform image according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 4 shows an enlarged B-mode image and a Doppler waveform image according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of automatic blood flow measurement in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of blood flow measured in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a B-mode image and a Doppler waveform image according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an enlarged B-mode image and a Doppler waveform image according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; 9 is a flow chart showing the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an enlarged B-mode image and a Doppler waveform image according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an enlarged B-mode image and a Doppler waveform image in which the blood vessel region is enlarged at the maximum magnification including the blood vessel anterior wall and the blood vessel posterior wall, according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention; FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a B-mode image and a Doppler waveform image in Embodiment 4 of the present invention; FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a B-mode image display area and a Doppler waveform image display area with changed size ratios of the display areas in Embodiment 4 of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an enlarged B-mode image and a Doppler waveform image in a modified example of Embodiment 4 of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The description of the constituent elements described below is based on representative embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments.
In this specification, a numerical range represented by "-" means a range including the numerical values before and after "-" as lower and upper limits.
Also, in this specification, the terms "perpendicular" and "parallel" include the range of error that is permissible in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. For example, "perpendicular" and "parallel" means within a range of less than ±10° with respect to strict perpendicularity or parallelism, and the error with respect to strict perpendicularity or parallelism is 5° or less is preferable, and 3° or less is more preferable.
As used herein, the terms "same" and "same" shall include the margin of error generally accepted in the technical field. In addition, in this specification, when "all", "all" or "whole surface" is used, in addition to the case of 100%, the error range generally accepted in the technical field is included, for example, 99% or more, 95% or more, or 90% or more shall be included.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 includes a transducer array 2 to which a transmitter 3 and a receiver 4 are connected. A B-mode processing unit 5 and a Doppler processing unit 6 are connected in parallel to the receiving unit 4 , and a display unit 8 is connected to the B-mode processing unit 5 and the Doppler processing unit 6 via a display control unit 7 .

An image enlarging section 9 is connected to the B-mode processing section 5 , and a blood vessel wall detecting section 10 is connected to the image enlarging section 9 . The B-mode processing unit 5 is also connected to the blood vessel wall detection unit 10 . A gate setting unit 11 and a cross-sectional area calculation unit 12 are connected to the blood vessel wall detection unit 10 . The gate setting section 11 is connected to the Doppler processing section 6 and the image enlarging section 9 . A blood flow measurement unit 13 is connected to the cross-sectional area calculation unit 12 . An average blood flow velocity calculation unit 14 is connected to the Doppler processing unit 6 , and a blood flow measurement unit 13 is connected to the average blood flow velocity calculation unit 14 . The image enlarging section 9 , the gate setting section 11 and the blood flow measuring section 13 are each connected to the display control section 7 .

In addition, a transmission unit 3, a reception unit 4, a B-mode processing unit 5, a Doppler processing unit 6, a display control unit 7, an image enlargement unit 9, a blood vessel wall detection unit 10, a gate setting unit 11, a cross-sectional area calculation unit 12, and a blood flow rate. A device control unit 15 is connected to the measurement unit 13 and the average blood flow velocity calculation unit 14 , and an input unit 16 and a storage unit 17 are connected to the device control unit 15 . Further, a position designation reception section 18 is connected to the input section 16 , and the position designation reception section 18 is connected to the device control section 15 . Here, the device control section 15 and the storage section 17 are connected so as to be able to exchange information in both directions.
Further, the transducer array 2 is included in the ultrasonic probe 20, and includes a transmitter 3, a receiver 4, a B-mode processor 5, a Doppler processor 6, a display controller 7, an image enlarger 9, and a blood vessel wall detector. A processor 21 is configured by the unit 10 , the gate setting unit 11 , the cross-sectional area calculation unit 12 , the blood flow measurement unit 13 , the average blood flow velocity calculation unit 14 , the device control unit 15 and the position designation reception unit 18 .

The transducer array 2 of the ultrasonic probe 20 shown in FIG. 1 has a plurality of transducers arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally. These transducers transmit ultrasonic waves in accordance with drive signals supplied from the transmission unit 3, receive ultrasonic echoes from the subject, and output signals based on the ultrasonic echoes. Each vibrator includes, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic typified by PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate), a polymeric piezoelectric element typified by PVDF (Poly Vinylidene Di Fluoride), and PMN-PT ( Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate: Electrodes are formed at both ends of a piezoelectric body made of a piezoelectric single crystal or the like represented by lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate solid solution).

The transmitter 3 of the processor 21 includes, for example, a plurality of pulse generators, and transmits a plurality of transducers of the transducer array 2 based on a transmission delay pattern selected according to a control signal from the device controller 15. Each drive signal is supplied to a plurality of transducers by adjusting the delay amount so that the ultrasonic waves transmitted from form an ultrasonic beam. Thus, when a pulsed or continuous wave voltage is applied to the electrodes of the transducers of the transducer array 2, the piezoelectric body expands and contracts, and pulsed or continuous wave ultrasonic waves are generated from the respective transducers. , an ultrasonic beam is formed from the composite wave of these ultrasonic waves.

The transmitted ultrasonic beams are reflected by an object such as a site of the subject and propagate toward the transducer array 2 of the ultrasonic probe 20 . The ultrasonic waves propagating toward the transducer array 2 in this way are received by the respective transducers forming the transducer array 2 . At this time, each of the transducers constituting the transducer array 2 receives the propagating ultrasonic echo and expands and contracts to generate an electric signal, and outputs these electric signals to the receiver 4 .

The receiver 4 of the processor 21 processes the signal output from the transducer array 2 according to the control signal from the device controller 15 . As shown in FIG. 2, the receiver 4 has a configuration in which an amplifier 22, an AD (Analog Digital) converter 23, and a beamformer 24 are connected in series.

The amplification unit 22 amplifies the signal input from each transducer constituting the transducer array 2 and transmits the amplified signal to the AD conversion unit 23 . The AD converter 23 converts the signal transmitted from the amplifier 22 into digital data, and transmits the data to the beamformer 24 . The beamformer 24 converts each data converted by the AD converter 23 into respective A so-called reception focus process is performed by giving a delay and adding. By this reception focusing process, each data converted by the AD converter 23 is phased and added, and a reception signal in which the focus of the ultrasonic echo is narrowed down is obtained.

As shown in FIG. 3, the B-mode processing section 5 of the processor 21 has a configuration in which a signal processing section 25, a DSC (Digital Scan Converter) 26, and an image processing section 27 are sequentially connected in series. ing.
The signal processing unit 25 corrects the received data generated by the receiving unit 4 for attenuation due to distance according to the depth of the reflection position of the ultrasonic wave, and then performs envelope detection processing to obtain the data within the subject. generates a B-mode image signal, which is tomographic image information about the tissue of
The DSC 26 converts (raster-converts) the B-mode image signal generated by the signal processing unit 25 into an image signal conforming to the normal television signal scanning method.
The image processing unit 27 performs various necessary image processing such as gradation processing on the B-mode image signal input from the DSC 26 , and then outputs the B-mode image signal to the display control unit 7 .

The Doppler processing unit 6 of the processor 21 calculates the blood flow velocity by the so-called pulse Doppler method and generates a Doppler waveform image. A Fourier transform unit (Fast Fourier Transformer) 30 and a Doppler waveform image generator 31 are sequentially connected in series, and a data memory 32 is connected to the output terminal of the quadrature detector 28 .
The quadrature detection unit 28 mixes the received data generated by the receiving unit 4 with a carrier signal of a reference frequency to quadrature-detect the received data and convert it into complex data.
The high-pass filter 29 functions as a so-called wall filter, and removes frequency components derived from the motion of body tissue of the subject from the complex data generated by the quadrature detection section 28 .

The fast Fourier transform unit 30 performs frequency analysis by Fourier transforming the complex data of a plurality of sample points, obtains the blood flow velocity, and generates a spectrum signal.
The Doppler waveform image generator 31 generates a Doppler waveform image signal by aligning the spectral signals generated by the fast Fourier transform unit 30 on the time axis and representing the magnitude of each frequency component with luminance. In the Doppler waveform image, the horizontal axis indicates the time axis, the vertical axis indicates the Doppler shift frequency, that is, the flow velocity, and the brightness of the waveform indicates the power of each frequency component.
The data memory 32 also stores complex data converted from the received data by the quadrature detector 28 .

The apparatus control section 15 of the processor 21 controls each section of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 based on a program pre-stored in the storage section 17 or the like and an operation by the user via the input section 16 .
The display control unit 7 of the processor 21 performs predetermined processing on the B-mode image signal generated by the B-mode processing unit 5 and the Doppler waveform image signal generated by the Doppler processing unit 6 under the control of the device control unit 15. to display the B-mode image and the Doppler waveform image on the display unit 8 .

The display unit 8 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 displays images generated under the control of the display control unit 7, and includes a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).
The input unit 16 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 is for the user to perform an input operation, and can be configured with a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touch pad, touch panel, and the like.

A position designation receiving unit 18 of the processor 21 receives designation of the position of the blood vessel region made by the user via the input unit 16 on the B-mode image displayed on the display unit 8 . For example, when the input unit 16 is configured by a touch panel, the position designation receiving unit 18 can receive designation of the position of the blood vessel region touched by the user's finger, stylus pen, or the like.

The vascular wall detection unit 10 of the processor 21 detects the vascular anterior wall and the vascular posterior wall by image-analyzing the B-mode image based on the user's designation of the position of the vascular region received by the position designation receiving unit 18. . As shown in FIG. 5, the blood vessel wall detection unit 10 has a structure in which a blood vessel region detection unit 33, a closed interval setting unit 34, and a closed interval search unit 35 are connected in series.

Here, of the vascular walls on the B-mode image, the upper vascular wall, that is, the vascular wall on the shallow side close to the body surface of the subject with which the ultrasonic probe 20 is in contact is called the vascular anterior wall. Among the vascular walls on the mode image, the lower vascular wall, that is, the vascular wall on the deep side far from the body surface of the subject with which the ultrasonic probe 20 is in contact is called the posterior wall of the blood vessel. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, on the screen of the display unit 8, the horizontally extending direction is the X direction, and the vertically extending direction is the Y direction. Of the walls, the anterior wall W1 of the blood vessel is positioned on the upper side, that is, on the +Y direction side, and the posterior wall W2 of the blood vessel is positioned on the lower side, that is, on the -Y direction side.

A blood vessel region detection unit 33 of the blood vessel wall detection unit 10 detects a blood vessel region on the B-mode image UB by performing image analysis on the B-mode image UB generated by the B-mode processing unit 5 . At this time, the blood vessel region detection unit 33 can detect the blood vessel region on the B-mode image UB using a known algorithm. For example, the blood vessel region detection unit 33 stores typical pattern data of a blood vessel region in advance as a template, and while searching the image with the template, calculates the similarity to the pattern data, and finds that the similarity is equal to or greater than the threshold and is the maximum. It can be considered that a blood vessel region exists in the place where

In addition to simple template matching, for similarity calculation, for example, Csurka et al.: Visual Categorization with Bags of Keypoints, Proc. of ECCV Workshop on Statistical Learning in Computer Vision, pp.59-74 (2004) described machine learning methods, or in general using deep learning as described in Krizhevsk et al.: ImageNet Classification with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks, Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 25, pp.1106-1114 (2012) An image recognition technique or the like can be used.

The closed section setting unit 34 of the blood vessel wall detection unit 10 sets a closed section that includes the position designated by the user via the position designation reception unit 18 and passes through the blood vessel region detected by the blood vessel region detection unit 33. . For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the closed section setting unit 34 can set a circular closed section R centered on the specified position SP specified by the user via the input unit 16 on the B-mode image UB. can. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the blood vessel region BR passes through the closed section R. In the example shown in FIG. The closed section set by the closed section setting unit 34 is not limited to a circular shape as shown in FIG. 6, and may have any shape as long as it has a closed shape.

The closed section searching section 35 of the blood vessel wall detecting section 10 detects the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and the blood vessel posterior wall W2 by searching the inside of the closed section set by the closed section setting section 34 . At this time, for example, the closed section search unit 35 searches the closed section R using a method such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4749592, and can detect the blood vessel front wall W1 and the blood vessel rear wall W2. can. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, a search that connects the specified position SP and the boundary of the closed section R over the entire 360° range centered on the specified position SP specified by the user via the input unit 16 is performed. By searching the B-mode intensity data outward from the specified position SP along the line RL, the position where the amount of change in the B-mode intensity is maximum is detected as the position of the blood vessel front wall W1 or the blood vessel rear wall W2. Here, for example, the luminance value of the B-mode image signal can be used as the B-mode intensity data.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the search line RL that connects the specified position SP and the boundary of the closed section R is scanned clockwise over 360° around the specified position SP, while scanning the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and the It shows how the posterior wall W2 of the blood vessel is searched, an edge point EP1 corresponding to the anterior wall W1 of the blood vessel is detected on the search line RL1, and an edge point EP2 corresponding to the anterior wall W1 of the blood vessel is detected on the search line RL2. It is

The gate setting unit 11 of the processor 21 sets a Doppler gate within the blood vessel region BR on the B-mode image UB based on the blood vessel front wall W1 and blood vessel rear wall W2 detected by the blood vessel wall detection unit 10 . At this time, the gate setting unit 11 can set the Doppler gate using the method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4749592, for example. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the gate setting unit 11 determines the blood vessel region BR can be detected, and the Doppler gate DG can be installed so that this center position C and the center of the Doppler gate DG overlap. At this time, for example, although not shown, the gate setting unit 11 detects an intersection point between the blood vessel front wall W1 and the vertical line SV, and an intersection point between the blood vessel rear wall W2 and the vertical line SV. can be detected as the center position C.

Here, the vertical line SV is a virtual line extending in a direction perpendicular to the display unit 8, that is, along the Y direction. The Doppler gate DG set by the gate setting unit 11 is tilted by a cursor steering angle A1 from the vertical line SV on the screen of the display unit 8. This cursor steering angle A1 passes through the center position C of the Doppler gate DG. It is equal to the tilt angle of the scanning line SL.

The image enlarging unit 9 of the processor 21 enlarges the blood vessel region BR including the Doppler gate DG when both the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image are frozen by the user via the input unit 16 or the like. is displayed on the display unit 8. Here, to freeze the B-mode images UB means to display the B-mode images UB in a state in which the B-mode images UB continuously generated by the B-mode processing unit 5 are sequentially displayed on the display unit 8. It refers to pausing and displaying one static B-mode image UB on the display unit 8 . Freezing the Doppler waveform image means that the Doppler waveform images continuously generated by the Doppler processing unit 6 are displayed in order on the display unit 8, similar to the freezing of the B-mode image UB. It means to temporarily stop the display of the waveform image and display one static Doppler waveform image on the display unit 8 . Further, when enlarging the blood vessel region BR, the image enlarger 9 enlarges the blood vessel region BR, for example, with the same enlargement ratio in the vertical direction of the B-mode image UB and in the horizontal direction orthogonal thereto.

Here, for example, when the user draws the blood vessel region BR in the subject as a measurement target, the user normally draws not only the blood vessel region BR but also a wide region including surrounding tissues, as shown in FIG. do. While the B-mode image UB is displayed on the display unit 8, for example, the Doppler gate DG is set on the B-mode image UB, and the user freezes both the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD. Then, the image enlarging section 9 displays an enlarged B-mode image UC obtained by enlarging the blood vessel region BR on the display section 8, as shown in FIG. At this time, the image enlarger 9 can enlarge the blood vessel region BR so that, for example, the set center position C of the Doppler gate becomes the center position of the enlarged B-mode image UC.

The cross-sectional area calculation unit 12 of the processor 21 calculates the vascular wall detection unit 10 for the B-mode image UB generated by the B-mode processing unit 5 and the enlarged B-mode image UC obtained by enlarging the blood vessel region BR by the image enlargement unit 9. A blood vessel diameter DB is calculated from the positions of the blood vessel front wall W1 and the blood vessel rear wall W2 detected by , and the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel is calculated from the blood vessel diameter DB assuming that the blood vessel has a circular cross section.
The average blood flow velocity calculator 14 of the processor 21 calculates the average blood flow velocity for one heartbeat period based on the blood flow velocity calculated by the Doppler processor 6 .

The blood flow measurement unit 13 of the processor 21 measures blood flowing through the blood vessel based on the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel calculated by the cross-sectional area calculation unit 12 and the average blood flow velocity calculated by the average blood flow velocity calculation unit 14. The blood flow rate, which represents the volume per unit time, is measured.
The Doppler gate DG set by the gate setting unit 11 and the blood flow information measured by the blood flow measurement unit 13 are sent to the display unit 8 via the display control unit 7 and displayed on the display unit 8. .

The storage unit 17 stores an operation program of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 and the like, and includes an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an FD (Flexible Disc), MO disc (Magneto-Optical disc), MT (Magnetic Tape), RAM (Random Access Memory), CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) disc), SD card (Secure Digital card), USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory), or a server or the like can be used.

In addition, a transmitter 3, a receiver 4, a B-mode processor 5, a Doppler processor 6, a display controller 7, an image enlarger 9, a blood vessel wall detector 10, a gate setting unit 11, a cross-sectional area calculator 12, and a blood flow A processor 21 having a measurement unit 13, an average blood flow velocity calculation unit 14, a device control unit 15, and a position designation reception unit 18 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a CPU for performing various processes. FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit (graphics processing unit), other ICs (Integrated Circuits) may be used, or they may be combined.
In addition, the transmitter 3, the receiver 4, the B-mode processor 5, the Doppler processor 6, the display controller 7, the image enlarger 9, the blood vessel wall detector 10, the gate setter 11, and the cross-sectional area calculator 12 of the processor 21 , the blood flow measurement unit 13, the average blood flow velocity calculation unit 14, the apparatus control unit 15, and the position designation reception unit 18 can be partially or wholly integrated into one CPU or the like.

Next, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 will be described in detail using the flowchart shown in FIG.
First, in step S<b>1 , the B-mode processing unit 5 sequentially acquires B-mode images UB in which at least the blood vessel region BR is captured, and causes the display unit 8 to display the acquired B-mode images UB. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the display unit 8 has a B-mode image display area AB for displaying a B-mode image UB and a Doppler waveform image display area AD for displaying a Doppler waveform image UD. , B-mode images UB sequentially acquired by the B-mode processing unit 5 are displayed in the B-mode image display area AB.

Next, in step S2, the gate setting unit 11 sets the Doppler gate DG on the B-mode image UB. At this time, for example, when the user designates a position on the blood vessel region BR in the B-mode image UB via the input unit 16, the blood vessel wall detection unit 10 detects the blood vessel front wall W1 and the blood vessel based on the designated position. The posterior wall W2 is detected, and the Doppler gate DG is set by the gate setting unit 11 based on the detected vascular anterior wall W1 and vascular posterior wall W2.
In step S3, the Doppler waveform image UD is sequentially generated by the Doppler processing unit 6 based on the Doppler gate DG set in step S2, and the generated Doppler waveform image UD is displayed on the display unit 8 as shown in FIG. is displayed in the Doppler waveform image display area AD.

In this way, the B-mode image UB is displayed in the B-mode image display area AB and the Doppler waveform image UD is displayed in the Doppler waveform image display area AD. Both the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD displayed in are frozen. More specifically, for example, the user inputs instruction information to freeze both the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD via the input unit 16 , and the input instruction information causes the device control unit 15 to Both the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD are frozen under the control of the display control unit 7.

After both the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD are frozen in this way, the process proceeds to step S5, and as shown in FIG. An enlarged B-mode image UC is displayed in the B-mode image display area AB of the display unit 8 . The image enlarger 9 can, for example, enlarge the blood vessel region BR so that the center position C of the Doppler gate DG becomes the center position of the enlarged B-mode image UC.

Further, the image enlarger 9 can enlarge the blood vessel region BR so that the gate width GW of the Doppler gate DG in the enlarged B-mode image UC has a determined value, for example. For example, the image enlarging unit 9 adjusts the gate width GW of the Doppler gate DG in the enlarged B-mode image UC to 50% or 90% of the size of the B-mode image display area AB, for example, the vertical length L1. The blood vessel region BR can be enlarged so that the length is multiplied by a constant ratio such as . The enlargement ratio at which the image enlarger 9 enlarges the blood vessel region BR can be stored in advance by the image enlarger 9 . Also, this enlargement ratio can be set by the user via the input unit 16, for example.
By displaying the enlarged B-mode image UC in which the blood vessel region BR is enlarged in this manner on the display unit 8, the user can clearly confirm the blood vessel region BR to be measured.

In subsequent step S6, the blood flow rate in the blood vessel region BR is automatically measured. This step S6 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.
First, in step S8, the blood vessel wall detector 10 detects the blood vessel front wall W1 and the blood vessel rear wall W2 in the enlarged B-mode image UC. At this time, the blood vessel wall detection unit 10 again uses, for example, the designated position SP designated by the user in the B-mode image UB before enlargement to detect the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and the blood vessel posterior wall W2 in the enlarged B-mode image UC. can be detected.

In step S9, the cross-sectional area calculation unit 12 calculates the blood vessel diameter DB based on the blood vessel front wall W1 and the blood vessel rear wall W2 in the enlarged B-mode image UC calculated in step S8. , the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel is calculated from the calculated blood vessel diameter DB.
In step S10, the Doppler processing unit 6 calculates the blood flow velocity based on the Doppler data in the Doppler gate DG arranged on the enlarged B-mode image UC, and newly generates the Doppler waveform image UD. Furthermore, based on the blood flow velocity calculated in this manner, the average blood flow velocity for one heartbeat period is calculated by the average blood flow velocity calculator 14 .

Finally, in step S11, the blood flow measurement unit 13 determines the amount of blood flowing through the blood vessel per unit time based on the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel calculated in step S9 and the average blood flow velocity calculated in step S10. Volumetric blood flow is measured.
Thus, in step S6, a series of processes of steps S8 to S11 are automatically performed on the enlarged B-mode image UC.

Here, usually, when the user draws the blood vessel region BR in the subject as a measurement target in the B-mode image UB, he draws not only the blood vessel region BR but also a wide region including surrounding tissues. In this way, when the blood flow in the subject is measured using the B-mode image UB that depicts a wide area, for example, due to the resolution of the B-mode image UB, the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and An error may occur in the position of the posterior wall W2 of the blood vessel, the arrangement position of the Doppler gate DG, and the like, and as a result, the measurement accuracy of the blood flow rate may deteriorate. For example, assuming that the resolution of the unenlarged B-mode image UB is 0.18 mm/pixel, if the blood vessel diameter DB is 4 mm, the position of the blood vessel front wall W1 or the blood vessel rear wall W2 is shifted by one pixel. , there is an error of 0.18/4 in vessel diameter DB, or an error of about 4.5%. This results in an error of about 9% when converted to blood flow. On the other hand, for example, when the B-mode image UB is enlarged 2.5 times, the resolution of the enlarged B-mode image UC is 0.07 mm/pixel. Alternatively, a one-pixel shift in the position of the posterior wall W2 of the blood vessel causes an error of only 0.07/4, or about 1.8%, in the blood vessel diameter DB. When this is converted into blood flow, the error is only about 3.6%.

In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, automatic measurement of the blood flow in step S3 is performed on the enlarged B-mode image UC in which the blood vessel region BR including the Doppler gate DG is enlarged. The occurrence can be suppressed and the measurement accuracy of the blood flow can be improved.

Next, in step S7, the measurement result of the blood flow obtained in step S6 is displayed on the display unit 8. FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the blood flow volume measurement value MV is displayed on the display unit 8 together with the enlarged B-mode image UC and the Doppler waveform image UD.
When the measurement result of the blood flow is displayed on the display unit 8 in this manner, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 ends.

As described above, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when both the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD are frozen by the user, the blood vessel region BR including the Doppler gate DG is An enlarged B-mode image UC is displayed on the display unit 8, and an enlarged B-mode image UC is displayed by the blood vessel wall detection unit 10, the cross-sectional area calculation unit 12, the Doppler processing unit 6, the average blood flow velocity calculation unit 14, and the blood flow measurement unit 13. Since the blood flow rate is measured using the mode image UC, the user can clearly confirm the blood vessel region BR on the enlarged B-mode image UC, and the blood flow rate measurement accuracy can be improved.

It should be noted that in the first embodiment, the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and the blood vessel posterior wall W2 can be detected by performing image analysis on the B-mode image UB in the same manner as the method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4,749,592. Although shown, any method that can detect the anterior wall W1 and the posterior wall W2 of the blood vessel is not limiting. For example, although not shown, the B-mode image UB is subjected to image analysis to detect a blood vessel gradient line representing the blood vessel gradient, and along the gradient vertical line perpendicular to the blood vessel gradient line, the blood vessel front wall W1 and the blood vessel rear wall W2 are detected. can also be detected.

Further, in Embodiment 1, when the user designates a position on the B-mode image UB via the input unit 16, the blood vessel wall detection unit 10 detects the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and the blood vessel posterior wall W2 in the B-mode image UB. The Doppler gate DG is automatically set by the gate setting unit 11 based on the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and the blood vessel posterior wall W2. can also

Further, there is an example in which the center position C of the Doppler gate DG is used as a reference point when enlarging the blood vessel region BR. An example of enlarging is given, but if the vascular region BR including the Doppler gate DG is magnified, the reference point for enlarging the vascular region BR is not limited to the center position C of the Doppler gate DG. For example, the user designates a position within the blood vessel region BR on the B-mode image UB, and freezes both the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD. , the blood vessel region BR can also be enlarged.

Further, in Embodiment 1, the Doppler waveform image UD is acquired by the Doppler processing unit 6 triggered by setting the Doppler gate DG on the B-mode image UB. The acquired trigger is not limited to this.
For example, when the Doppler gate DG is set on the B-mode image UB and the user freezes the B-mode image UB via the input unit 16 as a trigger, the Doppler waveform image UD is acquired by the Doppler processing unit 6. good. As a result, only the B-mode image UB is frozen, and the Doppler waveform image UD is displayed on the display unit 8. For example, the Doppler waveform image UD is frozen by the user via the input unit 16, and the B-mode image UD is frozen. When both the image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD are frozen, the image enlarger 9 displays an enlarged B-mode image UC in which the blood vessel region BR including the Doppler gate DG is enlarged on the display unit 8. be.

Further, for example, the B-mode image UB is acquired by the B-mode processing unit 5 and displayed on the display unit 8, and the B-mode image UB is frozen, and the Doppler gate DG is set on the frozen B-mode image UB. Using this as a trigger, the Doppler waveform image UD may be acquired by the Doppler processing unit 6 . In this case as well, for example, the Doppler waveform image UD is frozen by the user via the input unit 16, and the B-mode image When both UB and Doppler waveform image UD are frozen, the image enlarger 9 displays on the display 8 an enlarged B-mode image UC in which the blood vessel region BR including the Doppler gate DG is enlarged.

Further, of the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD, the state in which only the B-mode image UB is frozen and the state in which only the Doppler waveform image UD is frozen are alternately switched, and the B-mode image is displayed on the display unit 8. It is also possible to display the image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD. For example, although not shown, displaying a display switching button on the display unit 8 for switching between a state in which only the B-mode image UB is frozen and a state in which only the Doppler waveform image UD is frozen, When the display switching button is pressed by the user via the input unit 16, the state in which only the B-mode image UB is frozen and the state in which only the Doppler waveform image UD is frozen are switched and displayed on the display unit 8. can In this case, for example, when the user determines that the blood flow cannot be properly measured because the B-mode image UB or Doppler waveform image UD frozen on the display unit 8 is unclear, When the user presses the display switching button, the newly acquired B-mode image UB or Doppler waveform image UD is frozen, and the B-mode image UB or Doppler waveform image UD to be used for blood flow measurement is newly determined. be able to.
The frozen state of the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD may be released individually by the user via the input unit 16 .

Further, there is an example in which the image enlarging unit 9 enlarges the blood vessel region BR so that the gate width GW of the Doppler gate DG arranged in the blood vessel region BR becomes a predetermined value. The blood vessel region BR can also be enlarged so that the distance between the blood vessel front wall W1 and the blood vessel rear wall W2 in the mode image UC becomes a predetermined value. For example, the image enlarging unit 9 determines that the distance between the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and the blood vessel posterior wall W2 in the enlarged B-mode image UC is the size of the B-mode image display area AB, for example, the vertical length L1. , 50%, 90%, etc., so that the vascular region BR can be enlarged. The enlargement ratio at which the image enlarger 9 enlarges the blood vessel region BR can be stored in advance by the image enlarger 9 . Also, this enlargement ratio can be set by the user via the input unit 16, for example.

Further, when the enlargement ratio of the blood vessel region BR is set by the user, the image enlarging unit 9 holds the enlargement ratio of the blood vessel region BR set by the user, and In addition, an enlarged B-mode image UC obtained by enlarging the blood vessel region BR using the retained enlargement ratio can be displayed on the display unit 8 . This saves the user the trouble of resetting the enlargement ratio of the blood vessel region BR each time the blood flow volume of the subject is measured.

Further, in Embodiment 1, it is exemplified that the blood flow rate in the blood vessel is automatically measured. Processing may be performed: detection of the vessel wall, calculation of the cross-sectional area of the vessel, calculation of the average blood flow velocity, and measurement of the blood flow. Further, for example, the user manually arranges measurement calipers for specifying two points for measuring the diameter of the blood vessel on the front wall W1 and the rear wall W2 of the blood vessel via the input unit 16. The cross-sectional area of the blood vessel can also be calculated by the cross-sectional area calculator 12 based on the measured caliper.

Embodiment 2
In the first embodiment, the image enlarging unit 9 magnifies the blood vessel region BR so that the center position C of the Doppler gate DG becomes the center position of the enlarged B-mode image UC. The enlargement method is not limited to this.
For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the Doppler gate DG is located near the left edge EB1 of the B-mode image UB, so the blood vessel region BR to be enlarged is in contact with the left edge EB1 of the B-mode image UB. 15, the image enlarger 9 can enlarge the blood vessel region BR so that the left edge EB1 of the B-mode image UB becomes the left edge EC1 of the enlarged B-mode image UC. .

In the example shown in FIG. 14, the blood vessel region BR to be enlarged is in contact with the left edge EB1 of the B-mode image UB, but the blood vessel region BR to be enlarged is in contact with the lower edge EB2 of the B-mode image UB. In this case, the blood vessel region BR to be enlarged contacts the right edge EB3 of the B-mode image UB so that the lower edge EB2 of the B-mode image UB becomes the lower edge EC2 of the enlarged B-mode image UC. In this case, the blood vessel region BR to be enlarged is in contact with the upper edge EB4 of the B-mode image UB so that the right edge EB3 of the B-mode image UB becomes the right edge EC3 of the enlarged B-mode image UC. In this case, the blood vessel region BR is enlarged so that the upper edge EB4 of the B-mode image UB becomes the upper edge EC4 of the enlarged B-mode image UC. Further, when the blood vessel region BR to be enlarged is in contact with two adjacent edges of the B-mode image UB, for example, both the left edge EB1 and the lower edge EB2 of the B-mode image UB, The blood vessel region BR is enlarged such that the left edge EB1 and lower edge EB2 of the B-mode image UB become the left edge EC1 and lower edge EC2 of the enlarged B-mode image UC.

As described above, in the second embodiment, when the blood vessel region BR to be enlarged is in contact with the edge of the B-mode image UB, the image enlarger 9 enlarges the edge of the B-mode image UB into an enlarged B-mode image. Since the blood vessel region BR including the Doppler gate DG is enlarged so as to be the edge of the UC, even if the Doppler gate DG is positioned near the edge of the B-mode image UB, the Doppler gate is displayed over the entire B-mode image display area AB. An enlarged B-mode image UC including DG is displayed, and the user can clearly confirm the blood vessel region BR.

Embodiment 3
In Embodiments 1 and 2, the image enlarger 9 has only one enlargement ratio, and the blood vessel region BR on the B-mode image UB is enlarged by this enlargement ratio. A plurality of predetermined enlargement ratios may be held. In Embodiment 3, the image enlarging unit 9 enlarges the B-mode image UB by, for example, 1.5 times, 2.0 times, 2.5 times, 3.0 times, 3.5 times, 4.0 times, and 4.0 times as the magnification of the B-mode image UB. Suppose that a plurality of magnification factors such as 0 are held.

First, in step S<b>1 , the B-mode processing unit 5 sequentially acquires B-mode images UB in which at least the blood vessel region BR is captured, and the acquired B-mode images UB are displayed on the display unit 8 .
Next, in step S2, the gate setting unit 11 sets the Doppler gate DG on the B-mode image UB.
In subsequent step S3, the Doppler waveform image UD is sequentially generated by the Doppler processing unit 6 based on the Doppler gate DG set in step S2, and the generated Doppler waveform image UD is displayed in the Doppler waveform image display area of the display unit 8. displayed in AD.

In step S4, the user via the input unit 16 freezes both the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD displayed in the B-mode image display area AB of the display unit 8. FIG.
When both the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD are frozen in this manner, the image enlargement unit 9 enlarges the blood vessel region BR including the Doppler gate DG as shown in FIG. 17 in step S5. A B-mode image UC is displayed in the B-mode image display area AB of the display unit 8 . At this time, the image enlarging unit 9 displays on the display unit 8 an enlarged B-mode image UC obtained by enlarging the blood vessel region BR using one of the plurality of retained enlargement ratios, for example, the lowest enlargement ratio. do.
Next, in step S6, the blood flow rate in the blood vessel is automatically measured. When the blood flow rate measurement in step S6 is completed, the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, even if the enlarged B-mode image UC displayed on the display unit 8 in step S2 is enlarged by one step larger than the enlargement ratio used in step S5, the vascular anterior wall W1 and the vascular posterior wall W2 remain unchanged. is within the B-mode image display area AB. Here, if it is determined that the blood vessel front wall W1 and the blood vessel rear wall W2 are within the B-mode image display area AB, the process proceeds to step S13.
In step S13, the image enlarging unit 9 causes the display unit 8 to display an enlarged B-mode image UC obtained by re-enlarging the B-mode image UB at an enlargement ratio one step larger than the enlargement ratio used in step S5. After the enlarged B-mode image UC is displayed on the display unit 8 in this manner, the process returns to step S6.

In step S6, the blood flow volume is automatically measured using the enlarged B-mode image UC displayed on the display unit 8 in step S13.
In the following step S12, even if the B-mode image UB is enlarged by one step larger than the enlargement ratio used in step S13, the vascular anterior wall W1 and the vascular posterior wall W2 remain within the B-mode image display area AB. A determination is made as to whether or not it fits. Even if the B-mode image UB is enlarged by one step larger than the enlargement ratio used in step S13, it is determined that the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and the blood vessel posterior wall W2 fit within the B-mode image display area AB. In that case, the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S13, the image enlarging section 9 causes the display section 8 to display an enlarged B-mode image UC obtained by re-enlarging the B-mode image UB at an enlargement rate that is one step larger than the enlargement rate used in the previous step S13.
When the enlarged B-mode image UC is displayed on the display unit 8 in step S13, the process proceeds to step S6, and the blood flow rate is automatically measured using the enlarged B-mode image UC displayed on the display unit 8 in step S13. In this way, in step S13, when the B-mode image UB is further enlarged by one step, the step is performed until it is determined that the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and the blood vessel posterior wall W2 do not fit within the B-mode image display area AB. The processing of S6, step S12, and step S13 is repeated.

As a result of repeating the processing of steps S6, S12, and S13, for example, as shown in FIG. An enlarged B-mode image UC obtained by enlarging the mode image UB is displayed on the display unit 8, and when the B-mode image UB is further enlarged by one step in step S12, the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and the blood vessel posterior wall W2 are in B mode. If it is determined that the image does not fit within the image display area AB, the process proceeds to step S7. Even when the enlarged B-mode image UC in which the blood vessel region BR is enlarged in this way is used, for example, the two measurement points MP1 and MP2 for measuring the blood vessel diameter are located on the blood vessel front wall W1 and on the blood vessel rear wall W2. The blood vessel diameter is calculated, the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel is calculated from the calculated blood vessel diameter, the average blood flow velocity is calculated based on the Doppler data in the Doppler gate DG, and the calculated cross-sectional area of the blood vessel and the average The blood flow rate is calculated from the blood flow velocity.
In step S7, when the blood flow rate measured in step S3 is displayed on the display unit 8, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment ends.

As described above, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of Embodiment 3 of the present invention, the image enlarging unit 9 holds a plurality of predetermined enlargement ratios different from each other, and among the plurality of predetermined enlargement ratios, B By enlarging the blood vessel region BR with the maximum magnification that includes the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and the blood vessel posterior wall W2 in the mode image display region AB, the maximum magnification is obtained within the range where the blood flow can be measured. Since the enlarged B-mode image UC obtained by enlarging the blood vessel region BR can be displayed on the display unit 8 using the can be made

Note that there is an example in which the blood flow rate is automatically measured using the enlarged B-mode image UC each time the B-mode image UB is re-enlarged by the image enlarging unit 9. The calculation unit 12, the Doppler processing unit 6, the average blood flow velocity calculation unit 14, and the blood flow measurement unit 13 determine the maximum enlargement ratio that includes the blood vessel anterior wall W1 and the blood vessel posterior wall W2 in the B-mode image display area AB. Later, the blood flow can be automatically measured using the enlarged B-mode image UC for the first time.

Embodiment 4
In Embodiments 1 to 3, the display unit 8 has the B-mode image display area AB and the Doppler waveform image display area AD each having a predetermined size. Depending on the enlargement, the size ratio of these regions may be changed.

FIG. 19 shows the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1A according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1A has an apparatus control section 15A instead of the apparatus control section 15 in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. . In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1</b>A, the size ratio changer 36 is connected to the image enlarger 9 , and the display controller 7 is connected to the size ratio changer 36 . Further, the device control unit 15A is connected to the size ratio changing unit 36, and includes the transmitting unit 3, the receiving unit 4, the B mode processing unit 5, the Doppler processing unit 6, the display control unit 7, the image enlarging unit 9, and the blood vessel wall. The processor 21A is operated by the detection unit 10, the gate setting unit 11, the cross-sectional area calculation unit 12, the blood flow measurement unit 13, the average blood flow velocity calculation unit 14, the device control unit 15A, the position designation reception unit 18, and the size ratio change unit 36. It is configured.

The size ratio changing unit 36 of the processor 21A divides the B-mode image display area AB and the Doppler waveform image display area AD via the display control unit 7 based on the size of the enlarged B-mode image UC generated by the image enlarging unit 9. Change the size ratio. For example, the size ratio changing unit 36 determines that any one of the blood vessel front wall W1, the blood vessel rear wall W2, and the Doppler gate DG in the enlarged B-mode image UC obtained by enlarging the blood vessel region BR of the B-mode image UB shown in FIG. In order to fit the blood vessel anterior wall W1, the blood vessel posterior wall W2, and the Doppler gate DG within the B-mode image display area AB when they do not fit within the display area AB, the size of the B-mode image display area AB is increased as shown in FIG. The size of the Doppler waveform image display area AD can be reduced.

At this time, the size ratio changing unit 36 holds in advance a predetermined size ratio between the B-mode image display area AB and the Doppler waveform image display area AD. can be changed to a pre-stored size ratio.
Here, as a size ratio between the B-mode image display area AB and the Doppler waveform image display area AD, as shown in FIG. A ratio of the directional lengths L2 can be used. In the example shown in FIG. 21, by changing the size ratio between the B-mode image display area AB and the Doppler waveform image display area AD, the vertical length of the B-mode image display area AB is changed from L1 to L3. The vertical length of the waveform image display area AD is changed from L2 to L4.

In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1A according to Embodiment 4, the B-mode image display area AB and the Doppler waveform image display area AD are thus displayed via the display control unit 7 based on the size of the enlarged B-mode image UC. Since the size ratio can be changed and the B-mode image display area AB can be displayed larger, the user can more clearly confirm the blood vessel area BR on the B-mode image and the blood flow measurement accuracy can be improved. be able to.

Note that the size ratio changing unit 36 holds in advance the size ratio between the B-mode image display area AB and the Doppler waveform image display area AD, but this size ratio can also be set by the user. For example, a size ratio value can be input by the user via the input unit 16 and the input size ratio can be held by the size ratio changing unit 36 .

In addition, the size ratio changing unit 36 sets the size ratio between the B-mode image display area AB and the Doppler waveform image display area AD so that the vertical length L1 of the B-mode image display area AB and the vertical direction of the Doppler waveform image display area AD are equal to each other. Although the ratio of the length L2 is used, for example, the area ratio of the B-mode image display area AB and the Doppler waveform image display area AD can also be used.

Also, if any of the blood vessel anterior wall W1, the blood vessel posterior wall W2, and the Doppler gate DG in the enlarged B-mode image UC does not fit within the B-mode image display area AB, the size ratio changer 36 Although the size ratio of the Doppler waveform image display area AD is set, the trigger for changing the size ratio by the size ratio changing unit 36 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, when the enlargement ratio of the enlarged B-mode image UC is large and it becomes difficult for the user to grasp the positional relationship between the area outside the blood vessel area BR and the blood vessel area BR, the B-mode image display area By changing the size ratio between AB and the Doppler waveform image display area AD, the B-mode image display area AB can be displayed in a larger size on the display unit 8 . Specifically, for example, the size ratio changing unit 36 sets the ratio of the length L5 between the blood vessel front wall W1 and the blood vessel rear wall W2 to the vertical length L1 of the B-mode image display area AB to 8. When it is equal to or greater than a predetermined value such as 10% or 90%, the size ratio between the B-mode image display area AB and the Doppler waveform image display area AD can be changed.

Embodiment 5
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of Embodiments 1 to 3 has a configuration in which the display unit 8, the input unit 16, and the ultrasonic probe 20 are directly connected to the processor 21. For example, the display unit 8, The input unit 16, ultrasound probe 20, and processor 21 can also be indirectly connected via a network.

As shown in FIG. 23, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1B according to Embodiment 5, the display unit 8, the input unit 16 and the ultrasonic probe 20 are connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body 41 via the network NW. . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 41 is similar to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of Embodiment 1 shown in FIG. It is configured.

Even when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1B has such a configuration, the user freezes both the B-mode image UB and the Doppler waveform image UD as in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. Then, an enlarged B-mode image UC obtained by enlarging the blood vessel region BR including the Doppler gate DG is displayed on the display unit 8, and blood flow is measured using the enlarged B-mode image UC. Therefore, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1B, the user can clearly confirm the blood vessel region BR on the enlarged B-mode image UC, and the blood flow measurement accuracy can be improved.

Further, since the display unit 8, the input unit 16, and the ultrasonic probe 20 are connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 41 via the network NW, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 41 can be used as a so-called remote server. As a result, for example, the user can diagnose the subject by preparing the display unit 8, the input unit 16, and the ultrasonic probe 20 at the user's hand. can be improved.
Further, for example, when a portable thin computer called a tablet is used as the display unit 8 and the input unit 16, the user can more easily perform ultrasonic diagnosis of the subject. It is possible to further improve the convenience at the time of

The display unit 8, the input unit 16, and the ultrasonic probe 20 are connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 41 via the network NW. , may be wired or wirelessly connected to the network NW.

Also, although it has been described that the aspect of the fifth embodiment is applied to the first embodiment, it can also be applied to the second to fourth embodiments in the same manner.

Reference Signs List 1, 1A ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, 2 transducer array, 3 transmission unit, 4 reception unit, 5 B-mode processing unit, 6 Doppler processing unit, 7 display control unit, 8 display unit, 9 image enlargement unit, 10 blood vessel wall detection Unit 11 Gate setting unit 12 Cross-sectional area calculation unit 13 Blood flow measurement unit 14 Average blood flow velocity calculation unit 15 Device control unit 16 Input unit 17 Storage unit 18 Position designation reception unit 20 Ultrasonic probe , 21, 21A Processor, 22 Amplifier, 23 AD Converter, 24 Beamformer, 25 Signal Processor, 26 DSC, 27 Image Processor, 28 Quadrature Detector, 29 High Pass Filter, 30 Fast Fourier Transformer, 31 Doppler Waveform Image generating unit 32 Data memory 33 Blood vessel area detecting unit 34 Closed interval setting unit 35 Closed interval searching unit 36 Size ratio changing unit 41 Diagnosis device main body AB B mode image display area A1 Steering angle AD Doppler Waveform image display region, BR vascular region, C center position, DB vascular diameter, DG Doppler gate, EB1, EC1 left end, EB2, EC2 lower end, EB3, EC3 right end, EB4, EC4 upper end, GW Gate width, L1, L2, L3, L4, L5 Length, MV Measurement value, MP1, MP2 Measurement point, NW Network, R Closed section, SL Scanning line, SP Specified position, SV Vertical line, UB B-mode image, UC Enlarged B-mode image, UD Doppler waveform image, W1 vascular anterior wall, W2 vascular posterior wall, X, Y directions.

Claims (8)

a gate setting unit that sets a Doppler gate in the blood vessel region by image analysis of a B-mode image in which at least the blood vessel region is captured;
a Doppler processing unit that calculates a blood flow velocity based on the Doppler data in the Doppler gate and generates a Doppler waveform image;
a display unit that displays the B-mode image and the Doppler waveform image;
When both the B-mode image and the Doppler waveform image are frozen by the user, the enlarged B-mode image obtained by enlarging the blood vessel region including the Doppler gate is displayed on the display unit , and the enlargement is attempted. an image enlarging unit that, when the blood vessel region is in contact with the edge of the B-mode image, enlarges the blood vessel region so that the edge of the B-mode image becomes the edge of the enlarged B-mode image;
a blood vessel wall detection unit that detects a blood vessel anterior wall and a blood vessel posterior wall by image analysis of the B-mode image;
a cross-sectional area calculation unit that calculates the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel based on the blood vessel anterior wall and the blood vessel posterior wall detected by the blood vessel wall detection unit;
When both the B-mode image and the Doppler waveform image are frozen by the user, the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel calculated by the cross-sectional area calculation unit and the blood flow velocity calculated by the Doppler processing unit and a blood flow measuring unit that automatically measures the blood flow based on the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image enlarging section causes the display section to display the blood flow rate measured by the blood flow rate measuring section together with the enlarged B-mode image. 3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image enlarging section enlarges the blood vessel region so that the central position of the Doppler gate is the central position of the enlarged B-mode image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the image enlarging section enlarges the blood vessel region so that the gate width of the Doppler gate in the enlarged B-mode image has a predetermined value. 5. The image enlarger according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the vascular region is magnified such that the distance between the vascular anterior wall and the vascular posterior wall in the magnified B-mode image has a predetermined value. 10. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1. The display unit has a B-mode image display area for displaying the B-mode image,
The image enlarging section holds a plurality of predetermined enlargement ratios different from each other, and, among the plurality of predetermined enlargement ratios, the vascular anterior wall and the vascular posterior wall within the B-mode image display area. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the vascular region is magnified by a maximum magnifying power included. The display unit has a B-mode image display area for displaying the B-mode image and a Doppler waveform image display area for displaying the Doppler waveform image,
The ultrasound system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising a size ratio changing unit that changes a size ratio between the B-mode image display area and the Doppler waveform image display area based on the size of the enlarged B-mode image. sound wave diagnostic equipment. setting a Doppler gate in the blood vessel region by image analysis of a B-mode image in which at least the blood vessel region is imaged;
calculating a blood flow velocity based on the Doppler data in the Doppler gate and generating a Doppler waveform image;
displaying the B-mode image and the Doppler waveform image on a display unit;
detecting the anterior wall and posterior wall of the blood vessel by image analysis of the B-mode image;
calculating the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel based on the detected blood vessel anterior wall and the blood vessel posterior wall;
When both the B-mode image and the Doppler waveform image are frozen by the user,
When an enlarged B-mode image obtained by enlarging the blood vessel region including the Doppler gate is displayed on the display unit, and the blood vessel region to be enlarged is in contact with an edge of the B-mode image, the B-mode image is enlarging the blood vessel region so that the edge of the image becomes the edge of the enlarged B-mode image;
A control method for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for automatically measuring blood flow based on the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel and the blood flow velocity.

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